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Sunday, July 20, 2014

Coffee and Blogs No. 7

Ben and I took this weekend off of adventuring. We're focusing on errands: upgrading our phones, getting the boys bike helmets, clearing the back porch to prepare for a remodel this week. We had ice cream for dinner and Elliott is fighting a fever. We're bumbling along at our own pace. It's one of our only obligation-free weekends for the rest of the summer, and I'm loving taking it slow.

Here are some things to check out if you find yourself on the couch with strong coffee, buckling a helmet on your pajama'd son and feeling an early morning chill cool enough to pull a blanket over you lap. Real life can start in an hour.

"The kids aren’t eating enough vegetables. I’m not eating enough vegetables. I can’t remember the last time I actually scrubbed the bathroom floor. There are tiny balls of my hair in every corner of the house. I always say I’m going to organize all the papers on my desk but I never, ever do."I love this writing, and how it could absolutely be a page DIRECTLY FROM MY LIFE. Urine smell and grocery store parking lots included. Blog added to reader, check.

Despite being exposed to a fair amount of untimely death in my life, I struggle deeply with knowing what to say or how to act when people I love or even like are grieving. These tips on long-term support of people who have lost love ones were helpful to me.

This is definitely aimed at people who live in New England, but I found a Boston Globe article explaining the situation with the Demoulas family and the infighting over the control of the Market Basket grocery stores. I've heard that there could be protests or walkouts by employees!

My all-time favorite clips from Mr. Rogers include a trip to the peanut butter factory and this video about how crayons are made. I've honestly pictured this in my adult mind yearly when I fill my classroom's shared crayon bucket.

I'm super into creating a mission statement right now, especially where my life is shifting from full-time-survival mode into a slightly more free place. Here are one, two, three resources for being intentional and crafting a mission statement. I'm hoping to gather more on my be your own lady Pinterest board.

I've done next to nothing to work on writing (outside of blogging) this summer. I hoped to pitch articles to blogs and magazines, or at least to flesh out fiction stories that I'm always narrating in my mind. I need to use this thoughtful schedule for people who freelance, which gives some structure to creative endeavors.

Ah, I know! Our back porch is finally getting converted to a den! Ben and I will have our desks and BOOKS AND DVDS back there! Ben worked really hard to pick a contractor and get our financing. It's slated to be done this week! I can't wait to show you pictures.